


Forgeries and Memories

by ChokolatteJedi



Series: Through the Centuries [1]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Alternate Universe - Immortals, Banter, F/M, Forgery, Highlander References, Immortals, Off-screen Relationship(s), Painting, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2014-11-19
Packaged: 2018-02-26 08:45:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2645579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Is it still a forgery if the work is your own?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forgeries and Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Spawned from a simple plot bunny - Neal is a Highlander Immortal forging his own works.

"Is it still a forgery if the work is your own?" Neal mused, even as he placed the finishing touches on the portrait.

"What?" Mozzie looked up from his glass of wine and his contemplation of the gallery's blueprints.

"Is it still a forgery?" Neal repeated. The rest of the sentence went unspoken; this was not their first time going in this circle.

"Only if the Man declares it so," Mozzie replied, for perhaps the thirtieth time. Neal had lost count.

He hummed in response, concentrating on the signature. That was the trickiest part.

"Is it a Masaccio?" Mozzie asked.

"No."

"Courbet? He's been popular recently." Mozzie guessed.

"No."

Finally Mozzie huffed and got up, moving around the couch so that he could see the painting. "St George?" he scoffed. "Is this about Kate again?"

"I love her, Moz," Neal replied.

"She's mortal!" Was Mozzie's immediate comeback. Neal couldn't count how many times they had repeated this argument either. Mozzie was simply convinced that Immies couldn't love mortals. "And besides, what are you going to tell her? She knows Nick Halden!"

Neal shrugged. "I could be Nick for a while."

"After you went to all that trouble to become Neal again?" Mozzie demanded.

"I still don't know why you opposed that," Neal complained mildly. "After 11 centuries I'm pretty sure no one's going to make the connection."

Mozzie only shrugged in his usual 'Someday you will learn that conspiracy theories are true' manner. Which was a bit unfair, as Neal was well aware that conspiracy theories existed. He had lived through more than one in his time. But that wasn't really relevant. The only kind of person who would ever trace his name through the ages would have other means of finding him, so it was pointless to worry.

Fortunately, Mozzie had moved away from his name and back to the painting. "So, you're really going to steal the Raphael for her?"

"That was the plan," Neal replied.

"And then she'll fall madly in love with you?" Mozzie asked sarcastically.

"Again, that was the plan." Neal smirked.

"And when she wants to have little Haldens one day? Or when she starts seeing the crow's feet in the mirror are you're still a dashing twenty-five year old? Or when some mark pulls a knife and stabs you in the heart?" Mozzie's voice was verging on the hysterical now, and Neal quickly placed a finger to his lips.

This conversation, or variants of it, had also been played out through the years, and Neal's answer was always the same. "I'll deal with that when it happens." After all, he had all the time in the world.

Mozzie stayed silent – but God help Neal if he mentioned the word 'sulking' – and made his way back to the couch and his bottle of wine. After a few minutes, Neal put the finishing touches on the painting and stood back to admire it.

"You know, you never really answered my first question," Neal pointed out absently.

"Is it still considered a forgery if the work is your own?" Mozzie repeated.

Neal grinned widely. "Yeah."

Mozzie seriously considered this for a moment. "Ethically, no. Chemically, yes."

Neal cocked his head, considering this. "Shame we didn't save any period paints and canvases through the centuries."

"There was the stash in Berlin…"

"Bombed." Neal replied shortly. Most of his Masaccio works had been lost in that conflagration.

"Naples?"

"Vesuvius 1631." For having an eidetic memory, Mozzie still had trouble remembering things sometimes. Neal blamed it on having too many centuries of memories to sort through. At least, that was his own excuse.

"Damn. You know, next time we need to find a treasure vault far from natural disasters," Mozzie declared.

"Then we should probably move the Yosemite stash," Neal replied.

"Eh, that can wait a few decades."

Neal hummed noncommittally.

"There's always the old city." Mozzie pointed out.

"We need a sub."

"You know, those are surprisingly hard to commandeer nowadays." Mozzie said, with the air of one who had detailed knowledge.

"True." Neal sighed. "And none of that relevant to the topic at hand."

"Forgeries." Mozzie recapped.

"And our conclusion is?"

"The Feds will still arrest you for it." Mozzie decided.

Neal considered this. "If they find out," he pointed out.

Mozzie grinned. " _If_ indeed."


End file.
